Old Times v1
by scottmercure
Summary: Elisa Maza, during a night off, decided to spend time with the Gargoyles and is gifted with a tale of one of Brooklyn, Broadway and Lexington adventures as hatchlings. She discovers that even little gargoyles, like humans, can also get into mischief.


- OLD TIMES -

- (The Original) -

A Gargoyles Adventure by Scott S. Mercure

E-mail your comments to: smercure@charter.net

Written on October 15, 1995

Version 1.2

All Gargoyles and Characters are copy written 1995 by Disney and Buena Vista Television. The character that appears in this story, Robert MacGregor, is the sole creation of the author and is in no way related to any person in the Gargoyles history or past characters. Any resemblance is purely a coincidence.

Authors' note: This story deals mainly with Brooklyn, Broadway and Lexington in their hatchlings years. Since gargoyles do not have names back in 981 I'm going to call them Young Brooklyn, Young Broadway and Young Lexington. I tried it without names but it was too hard to read and have it make sense.

* * *

It was a very lazy evening for Goliath and his clan, the television had nothing to offer and everybody was quite bored. Goliath and Elisa were outside spending a few quiet moments together. Hudson and Broadway were catching up on their reading skills while Brooklyn and Lexington were playing a new CD-ROM game on his computer. Bronx was busy chewing on a large rawhide bone Elisa had brought for him earlier.

With the exception of the stereo soundtrack coming from the computer the place was relatively quiet. In the calm air outside Goliath and Elisa were leaning on the stone railing gazing at the lit up city. There was a slight overcast but the crescent moon overhead provided ample lighting.

Goliath sighed and looked down at Elisa, she had the night off and said she wanted to spend it with them. He knew she seldom had time to herself, but he could not understand why she'd spent it with them. She was a young, attractive human who could no doubt find something better to do than hang around here.

"Elisa?" he said softly, getting her attention. "You have a night off yet you spend it here, with us. Why is that?"

She smiled and turned to face him. "I like your company Goliath, besides if I wasn't here I'd probably be at my apartment watching television."

"Is there not something else you'd rather be doing?" He replied. "The city is vast and full of things to do. Surely there must be something?"

Elisa thought about it and shook her head. "Nah, at least with you I can usually count on some excitement. Why? Do you feel like doing something?"

"Nothing comes to mind." Goliath answered. "Why don't we go inside and see what the others are doing?"

"I suppose it's better than standing out here having a romantic gaze at the city with you, Goliath." She said, slowly running her finger up his arm.

Goliath cleared his throat and seemed to want to say something but could not. The look on his face told Elisa that he had taken her comment literally. She liked him a lot, but knew better than to come onto him like that. Their last encounter with Demona had taught him to be cautious of whom he tried to love.

"I'm only kidding, Goliath." She replied, trying not to laugh when he breathed a sigh of relief.

Taking one last look at the brightly lit city Goliath led her into the clock tower. Nothing had changed much since they had gone outside, only now Lexington and Brooklyn were talking to each other and laughing. Hudson looked at Goliath and shrugged his shoulders as to the reason why they were laughing so hard.

"What's so amusing, you two?" Goliath asked as he and Elisa reached the main floor.

"This new Kung Fu game we were playing reminded us of something that happened to me, Lexington and Broadway. Way back during our hatchling days." Brooklyn answered, still chuckling.

Broadway, hearing his name mentioned, looked up from the book he was reading. "What the heck are you talking about now? How did playing that game remind you of our hatchling days?"

"Remember back when we watched that MacGregor guy having a fighting demonstration with Demona? It was back during the summer of 981, if I can remember right." Lexington said, smirking.

"Oh . . . " Broadway replied, shaking his head in wonder. "What a crazy, messed up adventure THAT turned out to be."

"So that's what happened to the lot of ya!" Hudson said angrily. "I got into a lot of trouble because of you three."

Goliath crossed his arms over his chest and smiled. "I do not recall this messed up adventure of yours. I know of that mock battle with MacGregor and Demona, but this adventure you speak of is new. Please tell us about it?"

"Let me tell it?" Broadway replied, setting the book down. "I was the leader."

"No way, big boy." Brooklyn replied, holding up his hand. "When we let you try and lead us back to safety we ended up locked in that dungeon cell."

Lexington laughed at the comment. "Yeah, only because he could smell some old prison food that was left inside."

His reason caused everybody there to laugh out loud, except Broadway, who crossed his arms and grunted.

"So let's hear it already." Elisa said, taking the nearest chair.

Brooklyn cleared his throat and laughed once more before starting to talk.

"It all started one summer night, as we said we were still hatchlings. Myself and Broadway hadn't met Lexington just yet, and were playing in the watch-den..."

Scotland 981 A.D. - Castle Wyvern

It hadn't been long since they had broken from their silent sleep. Many of the hatchlings were in the watch-den under the watchful eyes of two adult females. It was a fairly quiet place, not very crowded since it took ten years for a gargoyle egg to hatch.

In addition to young Brooklyn and Broadway there were about five others, three males and two females. Each one was different, but all were in a very playful mood. Their toys were assortments of leather balls, wood building blocks and some shredded clothing.

Since none of the hatchlings were able to fly yet the adults were not worried about them roaming.

The twosome was running around kicking a leather ball when another adult entered. The female was somewhat young with long brown hair and olive colored skin. In her arms was another hatchling, slightly smaller than themselves.

They had seen the hatchling around, but its parents had never placed it in the watch-den. As the mother placed him down, she smiled and rubbed his bald head. Unlike most of their kind his wings were not separate from his body. Instead they were attached to his arms, making him look more like a kite.

He looked at his mother and waved as she left him alone with the others. Young Brooklyn looked at his large green companion and motioned to go and see the new kid.

Young Broadway nodded and followed his friend. Young Lexington saw them approach and looked nervous.

"Hello." Young Brooklyn said, smiling. "You're new here. Want to come play with us?"

"Okay." Young Lexington replied, feeling relieved. "You guys don't happen to have names, do you?"

"Nope." Said young Broadway. "Do you?"

He shook his head. "Why don't they give us names, like the human's do to their hatchlings?"

Young Brooklyn shrugged his shoulders "I do not know. Humans are strange creatures. What do you want to do for fun?"

"Let's practice our fighting skills!" Young Broadway said jumping up and down.

They giggled at the way his big green belly bounced up and down. He noticed it and pounded his chest.

"When I grow up everybody will tremble in my passing." He replied, smiling.

Young Lexington poked at his young Broadway's belly. "Yep, they surely will, all right."

He stuck his pointed tongue out at the new kid and made a funny face. They laughed and began looking around for something to use as weapons. Since the adults were careful of their young they did not put dangerous objects in with them.

"We can fake having weapons." Young Lexington said, waving his arm as if he had a sword in it. "I'll slay ye, nave!"

He pretended to thrust the invisible sword into young Broadway's chest. The plump hatchling grasped at his chest as if mortally wounded and fell to the ground.

"Hah!" Young Brooklyn shouted, making like he had a sword as well. "I'm a trained knight serving under prince Malcolm. Nobody can beat me in a fair fight."

"Have at you, nave!" Young Lexington said, swinging his invisible sword.

They jumped around for a while pretending to parry each other blows. Young Broadway sat back and watched, wishing he had not been killed by the new kid.

"All right, you three." Came a low, deep voice from outside the den. "If you're really interested in leaning how to fight then come with me."

They turned around to see the Wise One (Hudson) standing there with his arms crossed. He was a gargoyle that everybody looked up to for wisdom. His short white beard and leather body armor gave him the look of a mighty warrior. Clasped to his side was a long curved sword that shone in the torchlight.

The two females on watch looked over at the Wise One and smiled.

"What kind of fighting?" Young Brooklyn replied, looking very excited. "Swords or talons?"

"Neither." He replied, shaking his head. "It's some new kind of fighting that guardsman MacGregor knows. He's going to give a demonstration with a female gargoyle he's been teaching."

"Wow!" Young Broadway said, smiling. "I didn't think there was anything a human could teach one of us."

The Wise One smiled and laughed at the hatchlings' eagerness to accompany him. He looked at the females on watch and said he was going to take them. They nodded without question but told him that he was responsible for them. If anything happened to them he would have to answer to the parents.

"Yes, yes." He replied, sounding annoyed. "I know perfectly well how to take care of hatchlings. Come now, lad's, let's be off with ye."

He led the youngsters out of the watch-den and told them to stay next to him. They nodded and tried as best they could to keep up to his long strides. Off in the distance they could hear many people talking. As the sounds grew they began seeing humans and gargoyles standing around a large cleared area.

There were many torches erected to provide light but right now there was nobody in the clearing. Looking up they saw others of their kind perched in trees and roofs.

At the far end prince Malcolm sitting in a chair with his elite guards close at hand. The young prince saw the Wise One approaching and smiled.

"My friend." He shouted. "Come and stand by me, and bring your young warriors as well."

"Come lad's!" He said softly, making himself sound like he was excited. "The prince wants us to go and watch the demonstration with him!"

"Wow!" They shouted in unison.

He could not help but chuckle at the youngsters reaction to his invite. With the grace of a skilled warrior he led them through the crowd, across the clearing and knelt before the prince.

The youngsters, seeing the Wise One kneeling before the prince copied his actions. Prince Malcolm smiled and seemed impressed with their honorable show.

"You will no doubt be great warriors when you grow up." He said, bending down to greet them. "I shall be keeping my eye on you three."

Young Brooklyn looked up and smiled happily, he never felt so proud in his life. The others felt the same way and waited for the Wise One to do something else. This kneeling thing was okay, but it was very boring.

They were glad when the Wise One stood up again and stepped to the side so the prince's view was not blocked. A silence was called and all attention was turned into the clearing. There was a man standing there now, he looked very agile with sandy brown hair and beard. He wore no weapons or armor and was doing some kind of strange motion with his arms and legs.

"Who is that?" Young Lexington asked, pointing at the man.

"His name's Robert MacGregor." Prince Malcolm answered. "And I believe you should know his opponent?" He added, pointing back at the clearing.

Turning back to the clearing they watched as a young female gargoyle (Demona) step through the crowd into the clearing. The prince was right, they had seen her before, many times. Out of all the females she was the most popular. Her slim figure, bluish skin and long red hair are what caught anyone's attention. Even at their young age they were taken by her beauty.

"He's going to fight with her?" Young Brooklyn asked, looking amazed. "She's one of the best warriors, from what I'm told."

The Wise One told them to remain quiet while the pair was preparing themselves. MacGregor finished his warm up and watched as his opponent did hers. The female's body moved and swayed with grace as she did similar warm up as MacGregor's. When she finished she smiled and followed him to where the prince and company were watching.

MacGregor and his pupil bowed before the prince as MacGregor briefly explained what they were going to demonstrate. From what the youngsters could understand the combat would be partial contact. Their fighting would consist mainly self defense, how to render an opponent helpless and to disarm them.

The prince nodded his head and said they could begin whenever they were ready. MacGregor smiled and led his female pupil back to the center of the clearing. There wasn't a single sound from the crowd as the pair stood in the clearing. They were about five feet apart when the human said something. Both of them went into a half crouching position and looked at each other carefully.

MacGregor and the female made slow movements with their hand and arms, daring one another to make the first move. His pupil slid her foot backwards and lunged, her right hand and arm aiming for his neck. MacGregor seemed to know her tactic and with little effort ducked, grabbed her right arm and sent her sprawling to the ground a few feet behind him.

The crowd was very impressed with the display but gasped as she leapt back to her feet and attacked from behind. At first he didn't seem to know the attack was coming until her arm was wrapped around his neck. She said something to him the nobody could make out, then fell over backwards, taking him with her. Using her legs she set them against his back and sent him flying backwards, quite like he did to her.

This time the gargoyles who were present applauded her actions, only this time MacGregor did not get up. He was not moving and seemed to be unconscious. Several people looked at the sight and began whispering to one another. His pupil gasped in terror and raced to his side. The Prince was about to send for the Archmage when something odd happened. When she knelt down next to him he reached up, grabbed her arms and used the weight of his body to flip her onto her back. He jumped on top of her and pinned all four limbs to the ground.

MacGregor shook his head and told her that maneuver was the most common way of fooling your opponent. His pupil said she was sorry, but if he ever did that again she'd kill him. He smiled and helped her back to her feet.

"Wow!" Young Broadway said, clapping his hands. "I wish I could fight like that."

Young Brooklyn looked at him and shook his head. "I'd hate to have you on top of me like that."

"Do you think he'd teach us?" Young Lexington asked. "That's really neat stuff."

They were eager to see more so they sat on the ground next to the Wise One and kept their eyes glued on the clearing. The pair did some very impressive hand to hand combat routines. Each would attempt to best the other, but usually it was MacGregor who was the one left standing. He nodded and his student and said that she was improving.

Looking around MacGregor saw a guard standing nearby and approached him. He said something him and the man seemed hesitant for a moment, then handed over his sword. The youngsters look at the weapon and smiled with glee.

"All right!" Young Brooklyn said, smiling. "Sword fighting is my favorite."

MacGregor thanked the guard and returned to the center of the clearing where his pupil was waiting for him. He smiled and handed the weapon to her, she nodded as if she understood and took it without question. Young Brooklyn waited for MacGregor to go and get a weapon for himself, but didn't. He said that this demonstration was how to disarm and enemy without getting injured.

He walked a few feet away and instructed her not to hold back and to attack him as if her life depended on it. She hesitated for a moment and asked if he were crazy. He said "no" and told her to try and strike him down. His pupil nodded sadly and seemed to will herself to feel some sort of anger toward him.

In a screaming rage she lifted the weapon and used whatever sword skill she had to cut him down. Everybody, including the hatchlings, inhaled deeply as the blade made its way toward its human target. Time seemed to in slow motion as the weapon arched downward, threatening to split MacGregor's head in two. Using a skill that they had never thought possible he leaned back slightly and using his hands clapped them together. When the hatchlings opened their eyes the sword was mere inches from his face, the blade was held fast between his palms.

After a moment of eerie silence everybody there stood up and applauded. Humans, gargoyles, even the prince and his honor guard clapped and shouted their amazement. The three youngsters covered their ears from the noise but could not get over how the human had stopped the weapon.

As the noise died down the prince shouted for everyone to remain quiet. It seemed that MacGregor and his pupil were going to say something.

"Thank you all for coming." The young female gargoyle said smiling.

MacGregor put his hand on her shoulder. "As ye can all see this new style of fight'in is unique. If the prince a willin' I am offering ta train anybody."

The prince got to his feet and approached the pair. "This is very interesting, I must say! Guardsman MacGregor shall have his own training hall with him in charge."

Several people seemed to like the idea of learning the new fighting style, as were the hatchlings. The threesome approached MacGregor and his pupil and tugged at his leggings.

He looked down at young Brooklyn and smiled. "What is it little one?"

"Can you teach us how to do that?" He asked, trying to look interested and cute at the same time.

MacGregor smiled and picked up the youngster, whoever was near him smiled. His pupil looked at him and smiled, her pointed fangs shone brightly.

"So young." She said, patting his head. "And yet so eager to learn. I can show you something right now that even MacGregor can't counter block."

"Really?" Young Brooklyn asked, as did MacGregor.

She nodded and told him to put the child down and for everybody to stand well back. He seemed to have no idea what she was going to do so he set the hatchling down and waited. As the three young gargoyles backed away the watched as the female stepped up to MacGregor.

For some strange reason she made a feeble attempt to jab him in the stomach. He grabbed her hand and tried to spin her away but she used her strength and made him do the opposite. Instead of her spinning away she drew him close to her body and pressed her lips to his.

Everybody gasped in amazement as the strange pair stood in the clearing, kissing. Some of the gargoyles seemed upset with her actions, as did some of the humans. He did not seem to fight her but was clearly startled by her tactic. When she released him he backed away and fell onto his backside in amazement.

"There's no way to block a maneuver like that." She said laughing. "You see, my instructor is quite helpless now."

The crowd looked at the stunned human and slowly started to laugh at the female's comment. Many of the gargoyles still seemed to disapprove of it but nodded their heads in agreement.

"Yuck!" Young Broadway said, sticking out his tongue. "Mating stuff."

His other two companions seemed to agree with him.

"I'm hungry." Young Lexington added. "Is there anyplace around here to eat?"

"Sure." Young Broadway replied, pointing at the castle. "I know where the kitchen is, let's go!"

Young Brooklyn started to follow but turned around and looked at the Wise One. He was busy talking to the prince, MacGregor and his pupil to notice him. Young Lexington grabbed his arm and tugged him along.

"Come on, let's go get something to eat!" He said.

"We should ask the Wise One first." He said, pulling his arm away. "I don't want to get into trouble."

"Ah, you're just a sissy." Young Lexington said. "A real gargoyle doesn't need to ask permission to do something."

Young Brooklyn crossed his arms over his chest. "I am NOT a sissy, baldly. I'll go just so you guys don't get into trouble."

He let them lead him around the milling people toward the castle. The front door was not guarded so they went inside without any trouble. Young Broadway led them down several hallways until his nose caught pleasing smells.

"We're close." Young Broadway said, rubbing his belly. "I think they got roast chicken cooking."

"You would know that." Young Brooklyn replied, shaking his head. "Let get some food and get out of here before we get in trouble."

"Pointy beaks' a sissy, pointy beaks' a sissy." The other two sang in amusement. 

The song made him angry, he snarled in protest. "Shut up, both of you! I am not a sissy!"

"Okay, smarty." Young Lexington said, pointing to a door down the hall. "That's the kitchen, if your not a sissy then lead us to get some food."

"Why I..." He mumbled, feeling upset with their mean teasing. "Fine, let's go!"

They stood to the side and let him lead the way. When they reached the door young Brooklyn peered around the corner to see if

anybody was inside. To his disappointment the kitchen was empty at the moment, but the food smelled good.

"Anybody around?" Young Broadway said, poking their leader in the back.

"Nope." He replied, stepping inside. "You guys find the food while I get something to drink."

Since everything here was designed for an adult they had a harm time reaching the counters. Young Broadway, undaunted by the smell of food, found a wooden stool to stand on. He crawled onto the table and started looking into the brass pots. There was a collection of flour, sugar and some assorted herbs but he couldn't find any food.

He jumped back to the floor and went over to the ovens where young Lexington was searching. They looked at the stoves but could not make out what was inside, they were too high. Young Broadway got his stool and put it down in front of the ovens. He climbed onto it and looked inside. Sitting in a shallow copper pan were several golden brown chickens. The juices that flowed down their tender skins made him drool with hunger.

"What's inside?" Young Lexington asked. "It smells really good!"

"Chickens." His large companion replied. "A whole flock of them just itching to be eaten."

Young Lexington rubbed his stomach and made happy sounds. "So get some already."

"It's too hot!" He replied, feeling the heat on his body. "Get me something to poke it with."

Young Lexington looked around the room and saw some metal utensils on the shelf. He told him to wait a second and, using his tiny talons, scaled the cabinet and grabbed a long fork. When he climbed back down he handed it to young Broadway who smiled and stuck the fork inside.

When he pulled it out there was a scrumptious chicken stuck on the end of it. Young Lexington smacked his lips and begged him to drop it into his hands. The oversized hatchling grinned and let the item fall onto young Lexington's head.

The odd sounds it made when it hit made young Broadway chuckle with amusement. Young Lexington grabbed the chicken from his head and stuck his tongue out at him. Young Broadway could have cared less and got one for himself and jumped to the floor.

By that time young Brooklyn was returning with a clay pitcher filled with water.

"I couldn't find any milk, so well have to drink this water instead." He said, putting the item on the ground. "Hey! Where's my chicken you two?"

Young Broadway tore a chunk out of his and pointed to the stove and stood. "Get your own, beaky, I'm busy."

"Hrump!" Young Brooklyn replied, feeling left out. "Some friends you are."

Young Lexington and Broadway looked at each other and remained silent. Their companion helped himself to a chicken but forgot to use the fork. With a painful scream a single chicken went sailing into the air. They all watched as it struck an assortment of copper pots, sending the entire bunch crashing to the floor.

The sound it made was incredible and they all looked at each other in terror.

"Let's get out of here!" Young Lexington said, knowing the noise would attract attention.

Nobody had to be asked twice. In a single motion they all stood up and started for the door. They were almost out when they heard somebody outside.

They ducked under the table just as some large human women appeared in the doorway. She saw the half-eaten chickens on the floor with a pitcher of water. Not too far away was a rattling mess of pots and pans.

"Me kitchen!" She said angrily. "Who's in here? Come out and get what's commin' to ya!"

She stepped inside and grabbed a large wooden spoon from the shelf and wielded it like a club. The woman looked around as she made her way past the table they were hiding under. Young Lexington waited until she had gone past and silently led the others out. 

Young Broadway was almost out the door when they heard the woman yell from behind.

"Ah ha!" She said, seeing the vandals. "Little gargoyles come for a bite to eat, have they? Come here ya little moochers and I'll give ya sometin' to chew on!"

Fearing for their lives, the three hatchlings turned the corner and raced down the hall. They didn't dare look back as they knew the woman would be chasing them. Young Lexington led them down many halls and through several small antechambers. When they came to a large wooden door, they stopped.

"Where are we?" Young Broadway asked, looking around as he caught his breath.

"I do not know." Young Lexington replied, looking around. "Did anybody watch where we ran?"

"Yeah, sure." Young Brooklyn said, throwing up his hands. "I kept a mental picture of every little turn you led us through. Now what are we going to go, mush for brains?"

Young Lexington looked around for a moment and scratched his head in thought. He had no idea where they were, or how to get back. From what he could tell they were somewhere in the back half of the castle.

He looked at the large wooden door and smiled. "Let's see where this leads us."

They looked at the door for a moment before digging their claws into the wood. If they were a few feet taller, they could have used the handle. At first they had a hard time with it, but slowly it groaned open enough to allow them passage.

One by one they slid through the narrow opening until they found themselves standing before a staircase going down. The hall was barely lit with torches and their was a damp, musty odor from somewhere below.

Young Broadway sniffed around and smiled. "I think I smell something good down there."

The other two sniffed and held their nose's.

"You think that smells good?" Young Lexington added. "You're really strange."

Building up whatever confidence he could muster Young Lexington started down the stone steps. The torches provided very little light to go by, but they eventually reached the bottom. They looked around to see a long hallway with many wooden doors. As they walked the noticed that each door had a single barred window.

"Great!" Young Brooklyn replied, shaking his head. "Our grand leader's led us into the dungeon."

"Aw, be quiet." Young Lexington replied. "Maybe there's a door that leads outside. Follow me."

The other two shrugged their shoulders and followed their little green companion. It was apparent that nobody was being held captive since all the doors were open. They were grateful of that at least.

"Hey, I think I see something over here." Young Broadway said, pointing to a cell. "Maybe a way out."

The oversized hatchling pushed the door open a little more and stepped inside. His companion followed lose behind. Not too far up the wall was a barred window. The cell was apparently not used because the bars looked ready to fall out.

"I'll bet we can tear those bars' off." Young Broadway said.

Young Lexington looked around and saw an old wooden cot resting against the far wall. He pointed to it and told the others to help him push in under the window. They nodded and seemed pleased when it was resting below the window.

"It's still too short for us." Young Brooklyn said, then pointed to young Lexington. "You stand on my shoulders and try to work the bars free. Okay?"

"Not where getting somewhere." Young Lexington smiled, watching his friend climb onto the cot.

When he was in place he got on the cot and with a little assistance was standing on young Brooklyn's shoulders. He smiled and rubbed his hands together.

"Come on already!" Young Brooklyn said, grunting as he tried to stable himself.

Reaching forward he gripped one of the rusty bars and pulled a shard as he could. The stone around the bar started to grind and break away. Most of the dust was filtering down into young Brooklyn's nose. Young Lexington almost had the bar free when his gargoyle stool, sneezed.

In one smooth motion young Lexington tumbled off young Brooklyn's shoulders. Young Broadway was not fast enough and collided with the falling hatchling. The force of his blow sent him rolling towards the door. When he struck the door it swung closed and a loud clank could be heard from the other side.

A second later the wooden cot they were standing on groaned under the sudden stress and collapsed. Young Brooklyn hit the floor like a bag of potatoes. When the dust had cleared and they had regained their senses they thought about their new predicament.

"Great!" Young Brooklyn shouted, pacing around the cell. "Now I am going die down here all because you two dummies wanted

something to eat! And what's worse is that both of you are still with me!"

Young Broadway sniffed and wiped his eyes. "I want go back to the watch-den. What is they can't find us?"

"Aw, shut up you big baby." Young Lexington replied, trying not to show that he was scared. 

"Don't tell him to shut up you moron!" Young Brooklyn said angrily. "He's my friend, and this is all your fault anyway! I knew I should have asked the Wise One first."

They were about to begin fighting when a new voice broke the air.

"That's right, little ones." Came a females voice from outside the window. "You should have asked first."

Looking up they saw the red haired female that had been fighting with MacGregor. She was looking down at them and frowning her displeasure. Not too far behind they could heard somebody else approach.

"Did ye find then, lass?" Came a very familiar voice.

She nodded and pointed to the window, their hearts soared when the saw the Wise One. From the expression on his face they were all in big trouble.

"And how did ye end up down here, might I ask?" He spoke in a angry voice. "Yer parents are worried sick, and I'm in a lot of trouble because of you three!"

"We're sorry." Young Lexington said, scratching his foot back and forth on the floor. "But we wanted something to eat."

"Ye could have asked me, lads." The Wise One replied. "I would have taken ye."

Young Brooklyn slapped young Lexington on the shoulder. "You see I told you we should have asked!"

"Get us out!" Young Broadway shouted, stamping in feet up and down. "I still want something to eat."

From outside the door they heard somebody insert a key and unlock the door. When it swung open they saw Robert MacGregor standing in the opening.

He looked at the youngsters and shook his head. "The first rule of fighting is ta listen to your teacher."

They bowed their heads and nodded, but not before stepping up to him and hugging his legs. He looked down and picked young Lexington up in arms. The little gargoyle smiled and tried to look cute.

"Come on then." Came the Wise One's voice from outside the cell window. "Let's get these troublemakers back to the watch den."

He put the hatchling down and led them back through the way they had come. When they left the dungeon and entered the castle they felt better. They were led down many hallways, past the kitchen where a angry women glared at them, and back outside to the clearing.

Where the demonstration once was were three of the female gargoyles assigned to the watch den. Their parents looked at their dirty forms and frowned their displeasure. From the other side the Wise One and the red haired female was approaching.

What followed a short time later was the worst form of punishment the hatchlings could have dreamed of. They each found themselves with a very sore backside, stinging ears and empty stomachs. As they stood, rubbing their butts they swore never to go off on their own with an adult. . .

As Brooklyn finished the story everybody in the room was laughing at the top of their lungs. Even Goliath was clutching as his midsection, laughing unlike he had ever done before.

"That was great!" Elisa said, trying to wipe the laughing tears from her eyes. "If I laugh any harder I'm going to have to use the ladies room!"

Goliath managed to control his laughter and looked at Hudson and smiled. "You, old friend, apparently did not know how to take care of hatchlings."

"Aw, shut up you!" Hudson said, regaining his posture. "As if ye could have done better."

Broadway wiped the tears from his eyes, he had nearly fallen out of his chair. Lexington and Brooklyn were snickering and pointing at Hudson as if mocking him.

The old warrior looked at them and cracked a thin smile. He had misjudged the hatchlings, but they had learned their lesson. For that he was grateful, and that they didn't get hurt. He looked at them now, grown warriors, full of energy and pride. Deep inside he found their little adventure interesting.

- THE END –

- 


End file.
